Device for dispensing liquids, pastes and other flowable material



HEIMGARTNER DEVICE FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS.

PASTES AND OTHER FLOWABLE MATERIAL Dec. 28, 1965 Filed Feb. 18, 1965 FIG. 1

INVENTOR Jess Helrnqarrner M ATTOW 3,225,967 DEVICE FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS, PASTES AND OTHER FLGVVABLE MATERIAL Josef Heimgartner, Oberrieden, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Trichema AG., Zurich, Switzerland Filed Feb. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 259,000 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 19, 1962, 1,975/62 1 Claim. (Cl. 222183) This invention relates to dispensing devices for liquids, pastes and other flowable materials, comprising a container with a built in outlet valve in the container cover for the material to be dispensed under pressure.

Previous devices of this type include a metal canister containing the material to be dispensed under pressure, in which the dispensing pressure is produced in most cases by a suitable gas, which is either added to the material, or stored above the latter in the form of a pressure-gas cushion, or else acts upon the material by means of a sliding piston built in the canister. For the former process, only such propellent gases are suitable which do not react with the material to be dispensed, which excludes the dispensing of certain liquids by use of this device; moreover under such circumstances, the propellent gas would be ejected together with the liquid material, which is usually undesirable. With pastes and similar semifluid material an admixture of pressure-gas is practically impossible, as no even distribution of the propellent gas can be expected in the semi-fluid material, instead, a pressuregas cushion must be produced, remaining in contact with the material, which, however is likely to cause an undesirable escape of larger amounts of gas. On the other hand, pressure gas-actuated pistons have various disadvantages; above all, they make the construction of the device considerably complex, should one try to obtain a really tight guidance of the piston. Since the dispensing valve extends into the receptacle no complete emptying of the canister will be obtained by use of a piston. Dead spaces always form in the receptacle adjacent to the valve where the piston is prevented from entering. Similarly the same applies to dispensing devices with a yielding container, e.g. bellow-type, or including tubes and the like, in which the dispensing pressure is produced manually by squeezing the container holding the material.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved device for dispensing liquids, pastes and other flowable materials, which avoids the mentioned drawbacks. According to the invention this device comprises a container, a cover member for the container, the edge of the cover member being engaged on the top edge of the container, a dispensing valve in the cover member, and a bag-shaped diaphragm of rubber-elastic material within the container, said diaphragm having a free edge clamped between said joined edges of the cover- -mem=ber and the container edge, said bag-shaped diaphragm forming a chamber communicating with said dispensing valve and adapted to receive the material to be dispensed.

The diaphragm bag of rubber elastic material perfectly separates the material to be dispensed from the propelling agent present in the container, moreover its elasticity permits the bag to be filled as it exp-ands, so that the bag by emptying adapts itself practically without wrinkling to the volume of the material available; in addition the bag can be fitted contiguously without difliculty to the cover and valve preventing dead spaces from occurring and enabling likewise that the material contained can actually be dispensed completely.

An embodiment of the dispensing device in accordance United States Patent with the present invention, is illustrated in the accompanydrawings, showing:

FIG. 1 a longitudinal section of the device with the diaphragm-bag filled, and

FIG. 2 a longitudinal section of the device analogous to FIGURE 1, with approximately of the diaphragm bag emptied.

In the drawings, numeral 1 refers to a cylindrical metal container, e.g. made of aluminum, with a conical, outwar-dly clamped cover flange la and with an inwardly curved bottom 1b. The free edge of the diaphragm bag 2 made of rubber-elastic material, extending into the container 1 is turned over the crimped edge of the cover flange la and tightly clamped there by means of the outwardly crimped edge of a cover 3, having the shape of a truncated cone. The inwardly projecting cover 3 has a central recess 3a in which a dispensing valve 4 with a rigid inlet nozzle 4a and an axially movable outlet spout 4b is inserted. The ouelet spout 4b is actuated in the usual manner by means of detachable mouth piece not shown in the drawings.

When in filled condition, the diaphragm bag 2, which may be composed of a rubber-elastic synthetic material of natural or synthetic rubber, such as neoprene, is slightly expanded and most of its length lays against the inner wall of the metal container 1, whereby a tapered-neck member 2a of the diaphragm bag oil-set from the cover flange 1a of the container leads to the point of clamping, whereas the bottom of the diaphragm bag 2 hangs downwardly, so as to form a slightly convex curvature. A free space 10 containing a propellent agent is left between the bottom of the diaphragm bag 2 and the bottom 1b of the container. Compressed gases, such as nitrogen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, argon, etc. or liquefied gases such as propane, butane, vinylchloride and fiuorinated, aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbon may be used as propellent agents. Thus, for instance, difluorodichloromethane maintained liquid by cooling can be used as a propelling agent and filled into the aluminum container provided with an internal protection enamel finish, the amount of propelling agent, being equivalent to 8-10 percent of the weight of the material to be dispensed. The filling of the device can be executed by successively filling, with the cover 3 removed, the liquid propelling agent, by inserting the empty diaphragm bag and subsequently pressing on the cover 3 with the valve 4, whereupon the liquid or flowable material is introduced into the diaphragm bag 2 through valve 4. In case a gaseous propelling agent is used this can be introduced into the bottom of the container, through an opening, adapted to be sealed oil after the diaphragm bag has been inserted, and after the cover has been put in place. As the propelling agent is prevented from coming into contact with the material contained in the diaphragm bag, such as tooth paste, liquid or paste-type shoe polish etc., one is entirely free to choose a propelling agent which is most suitable for the set purpose.

When, using the dispensing device, the mouthpiece, and consequently the outlet spout 4b is depressed, the valve outlet opens the propelling agent, exerts pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm bag, and through the valve 4 forces out the material to be dispensed. As the emptying of the diaphragm bag 2Whic11 in the filled condition, is expanded as previously mentioned, beyond its normal size-goes on, the diaphragm bag shrinks accordingly (FIG. 2) whereby the progressively releasing propelling agent gains access on all sides to the diaphragm bag 2. The neck member 2a of the bag comes to bear against the conical peripheral wall of the cover 3, whereas the strongly reduced main portion of the bag commences enclosing the valve 4 in the manner of a bell. Owing to the fact, that the propelling agent acts also upon the upper portion of this bell-shaped remainder of the bag,

this upper portion comes to bear against the underside of the cover 3 as the emptying of the diaphragm bag continues; when the bag is completely emptied it encloses the valve 4 in such a way under the effect of pressure exerted by the propelling agent, that practically no dead space holding non-disposable entrapped material is left in the diaphragm bag.

Actually, a dispensing device having a diaphragm bag of the type described, for the material to be dispensed, adapts itself for use even without a gaseous propelling agent. Thus, for instance, a spring-loaded piston, enclosing an air-cushion between itself and the bottom of the bag, could be provided for compressing the diaphragm bag. Instead of in a rigid container, the diaphragm bag could also be inserted in a bellows-tube, in which, by covering a suction vent, an air cushion encompassing the bag, could be compressed for instance by hand, which in turn squeezes together the diaphragm bag, in a manner similar to the action of an expanding gaseous propelling agent.

Experience has shown, that the device described above, permits forcing out of the bag any liquid or pasty material perfectly, and practically without leaving any remainders. Owing to the fact that the diaphragm bag keeps the propelling agent not only separated from the material to be dispensed, but also from the valve outlet and undesirable escaping of the propelling gas-which may easily occur e.g. by incorrectly handling (valve turned downwardly) the known devices, in which the propelling agent is arranged within the same space as the material to be dispensed-will be avoided.

I claim:

A device for dispensing liquids, pastes and other flowable materials under pressure, comprising a container, a cone-shaped cover member for the container, the edge of the cover member being engaged on the top edge of the container, a dispensing valve in the cover member, and a bag shaped diaphragm of rubber-elastic material within the container, said diaphragm having a free edge clamped to the cover member, said bag-shaped diaphragm forming a chamber communicating with said dispensing valve and adapted to receive the material to be dispensed, said container being a cylindrical metallic receptacle with an outwardly crimped cover flange, over which the free edge of the diaphragm bag is turned and the cover member is provided with a corresponding flange which follows the curvature matingly of the outwardly curved cover flange, the free edge of the elastic bag also following the curvature of both flanges and being confined therebetween so that the portion of the bag adjacent the lower edge of the crimp is confined, in the bag collapsed position, against the cone shaped element to provide a correspondingly cone shaped portion of the bag rigidly clamped by means of the outwardly crimped edge of the cover member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,557,162 6/1951 Wetzel et al. ZZZ-95 X 2,671,578 3/1954 McBean 22295 2,804,995 9/1957 Fee 22295 2,937,791 5/1960 Micallef 222-95 3,055,553 9/1962 Mapes et a1 222-95 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

